MB2s with some help from OT:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CT6KA07gzZw/
(I was going for modular filter-pings and was not disappointed)
2 Likes
Iām willing to go on record, and say that I really like the sound of the Steiner-Parker filter, as well as the SEM-style filter on the Freaks. I personally think the folks at Arturia have great ears for tone and musicality.
But then, thereās no accounting for taste.
Cheers!
5 Likes
Needless to say, I am a huge fan of the Minibrute 2/2S. Old pic, but working towards filling in the Rackbrutes.
5 Likes
Funny you mention STO and Ripples, they were the first two modules I ever owned. After spending many years building my system I decided to scale way back down to a single 104 on the desk. I work better with spacious, comfortable interfaces and without a mess of cables in the way.
The 2S sequencer is the appeal, for sure, and even if I just use that half to control my other synths then Iāll be happy enough. I think it would be fun to drive the Implexus with it, for example.
1 Like
I had a 2S and 6U rackbrute. I really liked the sound and filter myself. The patch bay opens up a lot of options for versatile sound shaping which is no easily achieved in analogue monosynths in that price range. Good build quality, and a very flexible sequencer overall.
Ended up selling though for two reasons. The 2S is relatively big for what it is and ate up a good part of my desk - so had to go and in the meantime replaced it with another monosynth. Iām sure I would have kept it if it were not a matter of space.
As for the rackbrute I personally thought it had a poorly designed PSU. There was no need for a 5HP module to power it up, and felt like a missed opportunity to have this as a switch on the side like most other cases. Also there is limited 12V capacity for a case of that size. Had a couple of power hungry digital modules that generated a lot of noise. Sold it for a 7U Intellijel case and never looked back.
3 Likes
Not a big mistake at all, but beware the following limitation of the sequencer which is very annoying for me in the context of finding nice short loops from a sequence.
You cannot change the start step of the seqeunce. You can change the last step but youāre locked into the start being on step 1. And you cannot rotate the sequence. You can loop a part of the sequence live by holding steps but thatās not the same.
If Iām doing 1 bar techno loops this becomes annoying when compared to my Zaquencer with which I can find a nice 1 bar phrase within a bigger sequence Iāve either jammed or randomly generated.
You can copy/paste etc to work around it but I really wish Arturia would implement a āset start noteā and ārotate sequenceā feature. Then this would be totally awesome. If thatās not an issue for you and you donāt have a problem with the sound then I can wholeheartedly recommend the MB2S. Even with those drawbacks itās still super fun to jam with.
2 Likes
I have the 2S and sometimes I love the filter, but other times not so much. In some patches it can sound kind of screechy or squeaky, but Iāve mostly learnt how to avoid those timbres. What I do like about the filter is that the bass doesnāt drop out when you crank the resonance. I donāt hate the filter, but itās not my favorite filter either.
Many times Iāve considered getting the small Rackbrute just to get a few modules for more filter options.
1 Like
You just made me reevaluate how to use my two racks. Iāve got two Dfams divided between them, but maybe I should place them together in one, and connect the other to my Minibrute 2, and load it up with extra voicesā¦ah shit, now I know what Iāll be doing tomorrow.
2 Likes
I picked up a Neutron which now sits above my MB2S and gives me a whole world of options, (including running the MB2S oscs into the Neutron filter which was my main intention) for very little money.
Wanted to avoid getting into Eurorack for financial reasons and this is definitely enough for me at the moment! Great for learning about modular too.
1 Like
Nice. That sounds like a good plan.
My Minibrute 2 is being used with four Moog semi-modular devices (2 x Mother 32s, 1 x DFAM, 1 x Subharmonicon) and Roland TR-8S or other drum machine. The Moog semi-modular devices are in their own Moog 4-tier Rack, and the Rackbrute 6U provides module to support the entire setup. The Minibrute 2S is being setup as a separate enhanced stand-alone synthesizer.
3 Likes
Lots of inspiration here, Iām glad I poked the wonderful bees nest of 2S owners 
I should mention I have a sequencer problem like many of us do, and I already own an OXI one which Iām still learning. But the S2 gives me that vibe of immediacy, simplicity and fun, despite being limited and slightly over-sized. Reminds me of the SP-16 in that regard and why I still have that on my desk.
I see some used ones around in the $350 range. Thatās crazy cheap when compared to (insert any eurorack module).
2 Likes
And Instagram filters will get you close to Noir.
1 Like
I always liked this video by Inside Synthesis, where heās using the 2S as a drum machine, like a DFAM on steroidsā¦
Cheers!
5 Likes
Thatās great! Really inventive ideas there to squeeze lots of usefulness out of it!
Iām on board. Picked up a 2S noir (open box) for $350 on Evil-bay. Thanks for all the motivation!
3 Likes
Congrats on the score! Happy synthing!
Is it Possible to have unquantized pitch sequencing via the third/fourth sequencer lanes?
Should be possible if you set either of those lanes to V/Oct and then patch their output into Pitch.
2 Likes
Found this cool video in a similar vein to the Inside Synthesis one linked above - I had a blast with my MB-2S last few nights exploring these ideas! Using the filterās self-oscillation/high res to make bass drums yielded solid results, especially when adding brute factor to change the timbre.
4 Likes
I think a lot of the complaints about the filter are valid. But the filter really does shine for percussion sounds like in this example. And in general, using the Minibrute 2S as a sort of bi timbral dual mono synth for drum sounds is where Iāve had the most fun with it.
Itās been on the chopping block for me several times but itās turned into a never sell. Really fun synth and sequencer combo. Really good value especially as a starter semi modular. Comes with great utilities and againā¦ the sequencer. Thatās really expensive to build all of that in a rack.
1 Like